[Edit]
Here's a new "test face" with some better features and shading
(http://hem.bredband.net/druid/face_new.png)
[Original post]
This is a set of characters for my current project The Prophecy. These guys will all be part of your "guild", so you will be able to play them all at different points in the game. I'm not primarily a graphics artist, and I've just gotten into drawing using paint programs (rather pixeling). Drawing human beings and faces in particular is all new to me, so any feedback would be appreciated!
(http://hem.bredband.net/druid/face.png)
Ooh, I like it a lot.
They remind me of the game Dreamweb, and I don't know why.
I suggest looking at some pictures for reference, because the shading seems a bit... flat?
Looking very good! I ain't very good at shading, but yes, it does look a little bit flat.
Yours,
~ StrangeDude
They are slightly generic, as in that they look awfully similar to eachother.
They could also gain a lot from different facial expressions, unless that destroys the purpose of the portraits. Right now they look pretty featureless.
Apart from that, they look pretty professionally made, and could easily pass as commercial graphics from the early 90:s or something
Quote from: Andail on Sat 18/09/2004 15:54:38
They are slightly generic, as in that they look awfully similar to eachother.
They could also gain a lot from different facial expressions, unless that destroys the purpose of the portraits. Right now they look pretty featureless.
Apart from that, they look pretty professionally made, and could easily pass as commercial graphics from theÃ, early 90:s or something
Yes, they all look way too similar now, I'll try to add some different facial features.
Try altering eye color, eye brows, etc.Ã, Maybe add some facial hair to one of them.Ã, Stuff like that would help to differentiate one from the others.
I really like your style.Ã, I remember your city-scape image from awhile back and these fit in nicely with it.Ã, Excellent!
Keep it up and keep us posted!
Very well done, but try this:
- Different colour eyes for each one.
- Change the clothing, maybe a tie on one of them?
- Skin colour, why not have a british white person or maybe a colered?
- Try to make facial hair on one of them.
- Maybe one with bigger eye brows?
- Gel some hair up on one of them?
Hope this helps. What program did you use?
Hah, Grant looks just like me. :D
The only thing I would change is the black lines on the hair and face. They would look ok around the outside, but it makes the hair look funky.
I would suggest adding higher cheekbones (they all have the same faceform - as made from a same template) Ã, and more eye-white to "Joshua". This would make him look younger.
do Grant's beard maybe a bit whiter and fuller - I just switched my monitor's color setting and it became just a paler shade of orange (SQ4.5 apparently missed it alltogether, hence his remark about facial hair)
Finally you could make Thomas a stronger shin and maybe a big scar, so he would create a stronger impression of an experienced mercenary (that's what I think of looking at him)
Quote- Skin colour, why not have a british white person or maybe a colered?
though it can be put politicaly and orthographicaly by far more correct Ã, :) I agree. Play a bit with skin colors as well, I would say.
I don't know about your project, but they seem to me like a starship crew or maybe a spec-ops team or something.
Otherwise cool!
Thomas' hair is the same colour as his shirt, this stuck out to me and it kinda put me off in a way. A bit more colour and these will look really good.
- Raider
ah, a fan of the Shader School (tm). They look very good, but it depends on whether you are going for realistic faces or not. If you want them to look on the cartoony side, I would say to keep them the same and just fix the shading a bit (and add some facial differences). Otherwise you might try making their faces a little less oval and give them age lines and that sort of thing. Nice work!
-ProgZ
they look very good, but imo, they could use more variation. I would focus mainly on the hair ( more different shapes, maybe one of them could be bald on top? ) and also, the eyebrows. subtle changes in the eyebrows could make a big difference.
Quote from: SQ4.5 on Sat 18/09/2004 18:29:52- Different colour eyes for each one.
- Try to make facial hair on one of them.
- Maybe one with bigger eye brows?
These are some
very good ideas ...
Quote from: Neutron on Sun 19/09/2004 00:35:40subtle changes in the eyebrows could make a big difference.
Couldn't have said it better myself ...
hmmm ...
Anyway;
Oz - I decided to do a quick paint-over of Joshua as he seemed the most interesting of the bunch (to me):
(http://www.twin-design.com/ags/help/oz_help02.gif)(http://www.twin-design.com/ags/help/oz_help02.gif)
- I removed the black outlines (as Evil mentioned) around the chin and (inside) hair
- added eye coloration
- altered the eyebrows
- changed the hair just a 'little'
- altered the shading on the neck
- added more of a high-light to the cheek bones (as Albert mentioned)
- altered the nose/mouth area a bit too
- took 1 pixel of height off the head
- added ears
Reminds me of the old game for the NES called 'Bionic Commando' ... and that's a good thing!
These are just suggestions!Ã, You're off to a great start and, as I've mentioned before, for just starting out they are really excellent!
Hope it helps!
Thanks Darth! Nice improvements, I'll try this approach on the rest of the characters.
Some modifications, featuring inept pixelation:
(http://w1.872.telia.com/~u87210460/AGS/face_mod1.gif)
I m aware that both looks squinting, which I was unable to get rid of, but prefer over the stary look of the original eyes.
The style s loveably retro though.
Oooh, some nice shading there loominus. The cheeks look much better (more natural). About the eyes and the "stary" look... It's kind of hard to get away from it, because of the resolution. You need at least three pixels to separate the pupil from the white of the eye, I tried that but it looked really weird, so I went for a two pixel wide pupil. Hmmm. I'll see what I can do about it. Thanks. :)
Oh yeah (as ProgZmax asked), the characters are supposed to be a bit cartoonish, so I'm not after super realism here. :)
Quick update!
I would try to add more contrast to your skin tones. It would help the faces look more dynamic and memorable. You could also experiment with specific lighting sources, or try rotating the portraits so they're not as frontal. As they are, they look precisely symmetrical. I would add lighten the highlights on the hair as well.
Quote from: big brother on Sun 19/09/2004 23:51:14
I would try to add more contrast to your skin tones. It would help the faces look more dynamic and memorable. You could also experiment with specific lighting sources, or try rotating the portraits so they're not as frontal. As they are, they look precisely symmetrical. I would add lighten the highlights on the hair as well.
Good idea about rotating the angle of the faces, maybe drawing them in semi profile would add more depth.
I agree with big brother, you definetly need more variation in the skin tones. I think it would go a long way toward differentiating them and fewer other changes would have to be made. Don't make too many changes besides that though as they are already quite good and have a consistent style.